Asus Xonar D-Kara User manual

Xonar D-Kara
PCI 5.1 Karaoke Audio Card
User manual
e7404_xonarkara.indd 1 7/4/12 3:33:51 PM

ii
E7404
First Edition
June 2012
Copyright © 2012 ASUSTeK Computer Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any
means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written
permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the
product is defaced or missing.
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY
DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE,
AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO
RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS
MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or
copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the
owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
e7404_xonarkara.indd 2 7/4/12 3:33:51 PM

iii
Contents
Contents ...................................................................................................... iii
Notices......................................................................................................... iv
Safety information ....................................................................................... v
Trademarks................................................................................................... v
License ......................................................................................................... v
1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 1
1.1 Package contents .............................................................. 1
1.2 System requirements ......................................................... 1
1.3 Specications summary ..................................................... 2
2. Xonar D-Kara card layout............................................................... 3
3. Installing the hardware................................................................... 5
3.1 Installing the audio card ..................................................... 5
3.2 Connecting to a TV tuner card ........................................... 6
4. Installing software........................................................................... 7
Installing the card driver.................................................................... 7
5. Connecting speakers and peripherals.......................................... 8
5.1 Connecting digital speaker systems (Home Theater) ........ 8
5.2 Connecting stereo headphones ......................................... 9
5.3 Connecting analog speaker systems ............................... 10
5.4 Connecting a microphone ................................................ 14
5.5 Connecting Line-In audio sources ................................... 15
6. Xonar Audio Center....................................................................... 16
6.1 Xonar Audio Center GUI .................................................. 16
6.2 Xonar D-Kara Audio Center Icon ..................................... 18
6.3 Music Main Settings......................................................... 19
6.4 Mixer/Volume ................................................................... 20
6.5 Effects .............................................................................. 22
6.6 FlexBass .......................................................................... 24
6.7 Karaoke Main Settings..................................................... 25
6.8 Mixer ................................................................................ 32
6.9 Enhancer.......................................................................... 35
7. Troubleshooting and FAQs .......................................................... 36
7.1 Troubleshooting ............................................................... 36
7.2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ................................. 37
e7404_xonarkara.indd 3 7/4/12 3:33:52 PM

iv
Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference, and
• This device must accept any interference received including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the
Canadian Department of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
e7404_xonarkara.indd 4 7/4/12 3:33:52 PM

v
This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical
and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local
regulations for disposal of electronic products.
Safety information
• Before installing the device on a motherboard, carefully read all the manuals
that came with the package.
• To prevent electrical shock hazard or short circuits, switch off the power supply
before installing the device on a motherboard or connecting any signal cables
to the device.
• If the device is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
• Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected. If you
detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, sockets, and circuitry.
• Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in
any area where it may be exposed to moisture.
• Place the product on a stable surface.
• If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied
service technician or your retailer.
Trademarks
Xonar and ASUS logo are trademarks of ASUSTek Computer Inc. “Dolby”
and “Dolby Digital Live”, “Dolby Pro Logic IIx”, “Dolby Virtual Speaker”, “Dolby
Headphone” are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. EAX and A3D are trademarks
of Creative Technology Ltd. Microsoft, DirectSound3D, and Windows are
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other company and product names may be
trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. ASIO is a
trademark and software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
License
Dolby Master Studio driver is manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories.
e7404_xonarkara.indd 5 7/4/12 3:33:53 PM

vi
e7404_xonarkara.indd 6 7/4/12 3:33:53 PM

1ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
1. Introduction
1.1 Package contents
• ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI audio card
• Driver/User Manual CD x1
• Quick Start Guide x1
1.2 System requirements
• One PCI 2.2 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card
• Microsoft®Windows®7 (32/64bit) / Vista (32/64bit) / XP (32/64bit) / MCE2005
• Intel®Pentium® 4 1.4 GHz or AMD® Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU
• 256 MB (or above) DRAM system memory
• 60 MB available HDD space for driver installation package
• CD-ROM drive (or DVD-ROM drive ) for software installation
• High-quality headphones or powered analog speakers
e7404_xonarkara.indd 1 7/4/12 3:33:53 PM

2 ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
1.3 Specications summary
*Specications are subject to change without notice.
Items Description
Audio Performance
Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 106 dB for Speaker Out
Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 102 dB
Output Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz (A-
Weighted):
Up to 0.0013% (-98dB)
Input Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1 kHz (A-
Weighted):
Up to 0.0013% (-98dB)
Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/96kHz input): <10Hz to 48kHz
Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage 1 Vrms (2.828Vp-p)
Bus Compatibility
PCI PCI v2.2 or above bus compatible
Main Chipset
Audio Processor C-Media CM8786 High-Performance Sound Processor (Max.
96KHz/24-bit)
D-A Converter of Digital Sources: Cirrus Logic CS47028
- 8 Channels of DAC output: 108dB DR, -98dB THD+N
- 4 Channels of ADC input: 105dB DR, -98dB THD+N
A-D Converter for Analog Inputs:
Sample Rate and Resolution
Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution 44.1K / 48K / 96KHz @ 16 / 24-bit for all channels
Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution 44.1K / 48K / 96KHz @ 16 / 24-bit for all channels
S / PDIF Digital Output: 44.1K / 48K / 96KHz @ 16 / 24-bit for all channels
ASIO 2.0 Driver Support: 44.1K / 48K / 96KHz @ 16 / 24-bit for all channels
I/O Ports
Analog Output Jack: 3.50mm mini jack *3 (Front / Side / Center-Subwoofer)
Analog Input Jack: 3.50mm mini jack *2 (Line-In / Mic-In)
Other line-level analog input (for CD-In / TV Tuner): Aux-In (4-pin header on the card)
Digital S / PDIF Output High-bandwidth Optical Connector supports 96KHz/24-bit
Front-Panel Audio Header Supports headphone jack-detection, automatic switching of
audio output from back panel to front panel
S / PDIF Header Additional SPDIF-out header for connecting graphics card with
HDMI audio output
Driver Features
Operation System Windows 7 / Vista / XP (32/64-bit) / MCE2005
Software 10-band Equalizer, 27 Environmental Effects, Enhancer, Mixer
Size (Width x Height) 106.15mm x 178.06mm
e7404_xonarkara.indd 2 7/4/12 3:33:53 PM

3ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
2. Xonar D-Kara card layout
No Item Description
1 Microphone In port Connect an external PC microphone to this 3.5mm port.
2 Line In port
Connect analog devices like MP3 players, CD players,
music synthesizers and other line-level sound sources to this
3.5mm port for audio recording or processing.
3Headphone/Front
Out port
Connect your headphones or 2-channel speakers to this
port. For multi-channel speaker systems, this port connects
to the front left/right input on the speakers.
4Side Surround Out
port
Connects to the surround channel input on 4/5.1 powered
analog speakers.
5Center/Subwoofer
Out port
Connects to the center/subwoofer input on 5.1 powered
analog speakers.
6 S/PDIF Out port
This optical TOSLINK digital output port connects to external
digital decoders or digital speaker systems, home theater
systems, and AV receivers for outputting digital audio such
as PCM, DTS Digital, DTS, WMA-Pro, etc.
1
2
4
6
7 8 9
5
3
e7404_xonarkara.indd 3 7/4/12 3:33:54 PM

4 ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
No Item Description
7 Front Panel Header
This 9-pin Intel®AC’97/HDA front-panel port supports auto
jack-detection and auto FP Headphone selection for Analog
Out on the Audio Center.
8 Aux Input Header
This 4-pin header connects to the Analog Audio output of TV
tuner cards or other sound devices inside your PC.*
*To monitor your TV tuner card’s audio from this Aux-In, you
must enable the “monitor” function for Aux-In in the Xonar
Audio Center software’s recording mixer.
9 S/PDIF Out Header Connects to a graphics card with HDMI support
e7404_xonarkara.indd 4 7/4/12 3:33:54 PM

5ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
3. Installing the hardware
3.1 Installing the audio card
Before you proceed with the following installation steps, it’s recommended
that you disable your onboard audio device in your BIOS settings, or uninstall
any other audio cards on your PC. (For BIOS settings or uninstallation of other
sound cards, refer to the user manuals of your motherboard and audio card.)
Installing the Xonar D-Kara card
1. Power OFF the computer, the monitor, and all other peripheral devices
connected to your computer.
2. Unplug the computer power cord from your computer and power outlet.
3. Touch the metal back or side panel of the computer to avoid static electricity.
4. Remove the chassis cover.
5. Remove the metal bracket from an available PCI slot for the Xonar D-Kara
audio card.
6. Carefully insert the audio card into the PCI slot until the card is seated rmly
in place.
7. Secure the audio card with screws and the metal bracket.
8. Replace the chassis cover.
9. Reconnect all cables.
10. Plug the power cord to the computer and to a power outlet.
11. Power ON the computer.
12
e7404_xonarkara.indd 5 7/4/12 3:33:55 PM

6 ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
3.2 Connecting to a TV tuner card
1. If you have a traditional PCI TV tuner card on your PC, you may need to
connect it to the Xonar D-Kara card to send the tuner card’s sound to your
PC speakers.
2. Secure the PCI TV tuner card and screw it into the back-panel.
3. Connect the audio output header from the TV tuner card to the Aux-In header
of the Xonar D-Kara card.
For optimum TV audio quality, Xonar D-Kara uses ADC recording to digitize the
signal and loop it back for DAC playback. Select Aux-In as the recording source
in the Xonar D-Kara Center’s recording mixer and enable the monitoring button
to pass this signal to the audio output. Using this setup, you can even turn on
sound effects such as Dolby headphone to expand the stereo TV audio to 5.1
channel surround sound in any set of headphones. TV audio on your PC will
become even better than on your TV set.
e7404_xonarkara.indd 6 7/4/12 3:33:55 PM

7ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
4. Installing software
Installing the card driver
Install the audio card driver before installing the Xonar D-Kara driver. Otherwise,
driver installation error may occur.
1. After you have installed the Xonar D-Kara card, turn on your computer.
Windows®automatically detects the audio card and searches for device
drivers. When prompted for the drivers, click Cancel.
2. Insert the support CD into the optical drive. If Autorun is enabled on your
system, the setup starts automatically. If not, run setup.exe from your
support CD.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to nish the installation.
The version and content of the support CD are subject to change without notice.
e7404_xonarkara.indd 7 7/4/12 3:33:55 PM

8 ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
5. Connecting speakers and peripherals
5.1 Connecting digital speaker systems (Home Theater)
The Xonar D-Kara makes surround sound playback through your home theater
system possible. A single digital cable connection can carry high-quality digital
audio from any of your PC audio sources to any digital speakers or AV Receivers.
No Item Description
1 Optical cable Plug your decoder’s TOSLINK optical cable into the S/PDIF-
Out connector.
SPDIF Out
Mic In
Line In
Front L/R
Side L/R
Center/Sub
1
e7404_xonarkara.indd 8 7/4/12 3:33:56 PM

9ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
5.2 Connecting stereo headphones
5.2.1 Connecting Stereo Headphones
No Item Description
1 Front Out/Headphone
Jack
Connect stereo headphones directly to this port.
1
e7404_xonarkara.indd 9 7/4/12 3:33:57 PM

10 ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
SPDIF Out
Mic In
Line In
Front L/R
Side L/R
Center/Sub
5.3 Connecting analog speaker systems
5.3.1 Connecting an analog power amplier
No Item Description
1 Front Out Connect “left front” and “right front” input ports of the analog
amplier to the Front L/R port.
2 Side Surround Out Connect “left surround” and “right surround” input ports of the
analog amplier to the Side L/R port.
3 Center/Subwoofer Connect “center” and “subwoofer” input ports of the analog
amplier to the Center/Sub port.
1
2
3
e7404_xonarkara.indd 10 7/4/12 3:33:58 PM

11ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
5.3.2 Connecting 2 Channel Speakers
No Item Description
1 Front Out/Headphone
Jack
Connect the speaker set’s 3.5mm plug to Front L/R port.
SPDIF Out
Mic In
Line In
Front L/R
Side L/R
Center/Sub
AUDIO
INPUTS
1
e7404_xonarkara.indd 11 7/4/12 3:33:58 PM

12 ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
SPDIF Out
Mic In
Line In
Front L/R
Side L/R
Center/Sub
5.3.3 Connecting 4 Channel Speakers
No Item Description
1 Front Out Connect the front input port of the 4 channel speakers with
the 3.5mm plug.
2 Side Surround Out Connect the Surround input port of the 4 channel speakers
with the 3.5mm plug.
AUDIO
INPUTS
Side
AUDIO
INPUTS
Front
1
2
e7404_xonarkara.indd 12 7/4/12 3:33:59 PM

13ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
SPDIF Out
Mic In
Line In
Front L/R
Side L/R
Center/Sub
5.3.4 Connecting 5.1 Channel Speakers
No Item Description
1 Front Out Connect the front input port of the 5.1 speakers with the
3.5mm plug.
2 Side Surround Out Connect the Surround input port of the 5.1 speakers with the
3.5mm plug.
3 Center/Subwoofer Connect the Center/Subwoofer input port of the 5.1 speakers
with the 3.5mm plug.
Side
Front Center/
Subwoofer
AUDIO
INPUTS
1
2
3
e7404_xonarkara.indd 13 7/4/12 3:34:00 PM

14 ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.1 Audio Card
SPDIF Out
Mic In
Line In
Front L/R
Side L/R
Center/Sub
5.4 Connecting a microphone
No Item Description
1 Microphone Input
Jack
Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug to the Mic In port.
2 Headphone Jack Connect headphone plugs to the Front L/R port.
1
2
e7404_xonarkara.indd 14 7/4/12 3:34:01 PM